Miyazaki anime, Godzilla film among Oscar nominees from Japan

An animated fantasy film directed by renowned artist Hayao Miyazaki and the latest Godzilla movie were among the Japanese films nominated for U.S. Academy awards on Tuesday.

Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” took the prize for best animated feature at the U.S. Golden Globes earlier this month. The 83-year-old anime giant won an Oscar for “Spirited Away” in 2003.

His nomination for this year’s Oscar in the animated feature category puts his latest work up against four other contenders, including Walt Disney’s “Elemental.”

Miyazaki’s 124-minute film, which is set during in World War II, follows a Japanese boy who moves to a new town after the death of his mother and meets a talking heron that leads him into a fantasy world.

Although Miyazaki had announced his retirement in 2013 after producing “The Wind Rises,” another of his Oscar-nominated films, he began his latest work in 2017.

Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus One” was among the five nominees for the visual effects award. The 30th Japan-made piece featuring Godzilla depicts a struggle against the monster after it emerges in a city devastated by U.S. air raids during the war.

“Perfect Days,” starring veteran Japanese actor Koji Yakusho, was nominated in the best international feature film category along with four others. Yakusho won the best actor award at last year’s Cannes film festival for his portrayal of a janitor in the film, directed by Wim Wenders.

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which depicts the life of physicist Robert Oppenheimer, known as the “father of the atomic bomb,” was among the nominees for best picture at this year’s Academy Awards. It won the Golden Globe for best film.

The film is slated to be released in Japan on March 29.

The 96th Academy Awards ceremony is set to take place on March 10 in Hollywood.